When Caesar crossed the Rubicon there was no going back; he was committed. How like the bond we create once an animal companion enters our lives. We are irrevocably changed.

Crossing the Rubicon: The Human-Animal Bond in Life and Death celebrates these changes. A collection of stories, poems, interviews and exercises, the book is helpful to anyone coping with the loss of a dear animal friend. It is also pertinent to the reader who wants to help someone grieve their loss or better understand the full meaning of the physical, psychological and spiritual roles pets play in our lives.

And as the animal messengers in these pages tell us, it is not only our pets lives that enrich us, but their deaths and their message from beyond death that affect us as well.

To help the ones left behind, a series of exercises is provided as an aid in the grieving process. These exercises show how we can ease the sorrow, renew the spirit and celebrate the lives of our pets through ceremony, ritual and memory recollection.

This moving anthology depicts the tenderness, frailty and joy of the human-animal bond in a way only true stories can. Cross the Rubicon and you'll never be the same.

About the Author
Dr. Julie Kaufman lives with a Boxer named "Evander", two cats, "Nikolai", and "Natasha," two canaries, two finches and her pregnant mare "Pasha."

Dr. Kaufman is a Doctor of Chiropractic and a Certified Animal Chiropractor. She graduated from Cleveland Chiropractic College in 1989, and has worked for the past ten years on large and small animals throughout Wisconsin. She was a senior instructor and board member for the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association from 1989-1993, where she currently guest lectures. She earned the second Animal Chiropractic Certification awarded in the world; there are now approximately 600 certified animal chiropractors worldwide.

Dr. Kaufman founded the Wisconsin Professional Animal Chiropractor's Association, WIPACA, and developed the holistic equine education program, Equinox, for horse owners, professionals and trainers.

Recent articles include: "Animal Chiropractic, Realigning the Human-Animal Bond," The Holistic Health Journal, Sept. 1997, and "Equine Althenative Therapy: Chiropractic Care," The Sentinel, by Carol Perkins, (Libertyville IL), Vol. 24, No.4, July 1996.

Dr Kaufman has been interviewed on CNN, and on the nationally syndicated radio show, Here's To Your Health. She has also been interviewed for Equus Magazine, Natural Pet Magazine, Farm Show Magazine, and Doris Day's Animal Guardian Magazine.

She currently lectures throughout the country to horse and dog clubs, veterinary schools, and holistic groups. Dr Kaufman is committed to communication and actions that enhance the quality of life for animals and nurture the human-animal bond.